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Dr Mike Biercuk in Top 100 most influential people

Dr Mike Biercuk, from the School of Physics, has been named in the top 100 most influential people in Sydney by the Sydney Morning Herald's the(sydney)magazine.

The list of Sydney's top 100 most influential people was released on 30 November 2012 in a special edition of the(sydney)magazine.

Dr Mike Biercuk, from the School of Physics, has been named in the top 100 most influential people in Sydney by the Sydney Morning Herald's the(sydney)magazine.

Named in The Thinkers list of the Science and Knowledge section, Dr Biercuk was selected for his research in quantum physics and was dubbed a 'game changer'.

Dr Biercuk's research published in the prestigious journal Nature earlier this year, which detailed the results of his and an international team's 300-atom quantum simulator - a form of quantum computer - was highlighted in the listing. The fact that the research was listed in The 10 World-Changing Experiments That Will Shape The Future in BBC Focus magazine and generated huge international interest was also noted.

the(sydney)magazine stated 'If a quantum computer - one that can do calculations that would now require a machine larger than the size of the known universe - becomes a reality, we might be able to thank Michael Biercuk'.

The listing also referred to Dr Biercuk's work in lobbying the government to amend planned legislation that has the potential to seriously restrict Australia scientific research.

"I'm also building up a team of scientists and capabilities at the University. Teaching the students is just as rewarding as getting a scientific result," said Dr Biercuk in the(sydney)magazine.

Dr Biercuk is now the primary investigator in the Quantum Control Laboratory in the School of Physics, having come from the US in 2010, where the(sydney)magazine listing notes he was "learning the craft of 'trapping atoms' with this year's Nobel Prize winner, David Wineland".

Dr Biercuk was selected by a panel of eleven experts in the Science and Knowledge section of the list, including
Professor Graciela Metternicht (Director of the Institute of Environmental Studies at UNSW), Michael Mobbs (sustainability coach), Judy Lumby (nurse educator and Director of the Joanna Briggs Foundation at the University of Adelaide), Amy Corderoy (health reporter at the Sydney Morning Herald), Honorary Professor Roslyn Arnold (Faculty of Education and Social Work at the University of Sydney), Jen Rosenberg (former education writer at the Sydney Morning Herald), Nicky Phillips (science and technology writer at the Sydney Morning Herald), Robyn Williams (presenter of ABC Radio National's The Science Show), Asher Moses (technology editor at the Sydney Morning Herald), George Wright (Head of Future Services at Fairfax Media) and Catherine Armitage (senior reporter at the Sydney Morning Herald).